£
£1,000 on each Judge..... 9,000
1 Judge at Calcutta...... 5,000
1 Judge at M. and B...... 8,000
Recorder's Court......... 8,000
Fees at Calcutta........ 30,000
------
£60,000
Ireland is put off till Monday, that we may all read the papers. We dine
with the Duke to-morrow.
The French oppose all the people we name for the Greek coronet. They have
named Prince Charles of Bavaria, and the second son of the King of Bavaria
with a regency till he is of age! However, this folly they did not press.
We first named Prince Philip of Hesse Homburg, whom the French would not
hear of. Then Leopold! They did not like him. Prince Emilius of Hesse
Darmstadt was thought of. The French have suggested Prince John of Saxony,
second son of the King, a fine young man, about 28, but unknown. His elder
brother too may soon succeed to the throne, and he has no children.
Otherwise there is no objection to this Prince.
It seems to me they are running after trifles. Russia adheres to us as to
the Prince, or rather remains neutral, thinking I have no doubt that France
and England will quarrel about the feather.
The secret instruction which it was proposed to give to the Ambassadors is
now abandoned, France having objected. They were to have been ordered to
_insist_ upon Turkey taking one of two things of which she was to have
ostensibly the pure option. Now they are only clearly to intimate their
_wish_. However, it seems Russia will take a million of ducats less if
Turkey will make Greece independent. That is, she will give up a claim to
what she cannot get in order to effect that she has no right to ask.
The French Government have, by giving new rates of pension, got 1,600 old
officers out of the army, and filled important stations with friends of
their own. They think they shall stand.
I forgot to mention the Archduke Maximilian of Modena as one of the persons
talked of for Greece. It seems uncertain whether any one of these Princes
would take the coronet.
_November 14, Saturday._
Cabinet room. Rosslyn and afterwards Lord Bathurst there. Read the Irish
papers, that is, Lord Francis Leveson's private letters to Peel and Peel's
to him, with a letter from Peel to Leslie Foster, asking his opinion as to
education and Maynooth, and Foster's reply. The latter is important. He
thinks the political and religious hostility of the two parties is
subsiding. The chiefs alone keep it up. The adherents are gradually falling
off. To open the questions of education, &c., now, would be to open closing
wounds, nor would anything be accomplished. The priests would resist
everything proposed, and the Protestants would not be satisfied. The
Kildare Street Society, however defective, does a great deal of good, more
than could be expected from any new system we could carry at this moment.
As to Maynooth, to withdraw the grant would not diminish the funds, while
it would increase the bad feeling.
The increased prevalence of outrage, arising more from a disorganised state
of society than from politics or religion, and the _assassination_ plan,
must be met by an extensive police, directed by stipendiary magistrates;
and the expense of this police, and the indemnity to sufferers must be paid
by the barony in which the outrage takes place.
All Peel's letters are very sensible. Lord Francis Leveson's are in an odd
style, rather affected occasionally, and his ideas are almost always such
as require to be overruled. He is a forward boy; but I see nothing of the
statesman in him. We ought to have had Hardinge there.
Dined at the Duke's. A man of the name of Ashe is writing letters to the
Duke of Cumberland threatening his life if he does not give up a book in
MS.
This book of Ashe's is a romance detailing all sorts of scandals of the
Royal Family, and of horrors of the Duke of Cumberland. The book is
actually in the possession of the Duke of Wellington.
The King's violence, when there was an idea of Denman's [Footnote: The King
always resented an offensive quotation of Denman's as counsel during the
Queen's trial.] appearing for the Recorder, was greater, the Duke says,
than what he showed during the Catholic question.
Lady Conyngham has been and is very ill. There is no idea of the Court
going to Brighton.
_November 16._
Cabinet. France, Austria, and England to ask Don Pedro distinctly what he
means to do. We certainly cannot go on as we are with Portugal for ever.
Aberdeen fears France may acknowledge Miguel first, and thus take our place
with Portugal.
The Duke says if we can keep Spain on good terms with Portugal, and with
ourselves, the connection of France and Portugal does not signify, and we
are much better off than with Portugal against Spain and France. This is
true.
A long talk about Ashe, who has written a libel on the Duke of Cumberland,
which the Duke gave to the Duke of Wellington. Ashe wants it back, and
threatens if he has it not returned to him; but in a letter, and in such
terms that the Attorney-General does not think him liable to prosecution.
He might be held to bail, perhaps, but that would bring out the case. It
was decided to do nothing, but to take precautions against his doing
mischief. The Duke of Cumberland has been cautioned.
The Insurrection Act seems to be popular with Fitzgerald. Peel says it is
bad in principle, and has the effect of placing the higher classes in
hostility against the lower. The decision seemed to be to have a powerful
police--stipendiary magistrates--frequent trials--constables appointed by
Government--counties paying for additional police.
Peel suggests the division of Ireland into smaller districts, and the
acquiring a personal knowledge of individuals, and making the districts
responsible.
I believe the country is too populous, and the population too wicked, for
this plan to succeed.
The murderers will be brought in from a distance.
The state of demoralisation in which the country is is dreadful. Murders
are held to be of no account.
_November 17._
Read, as I came down to Worthing, Colonel McDonald's last despatches, and
his private letter, which I received last night. Sent them to the Duke, and
asked whether under the circumstances we should let Abbas Murza have some
thousand stand of arms, Colonel McDonald doing his best to secure ultimate
repayment.
The Persian cavalry raised by the Russians in their newly conquered
territories seem to have fought as well as any troops in their service.
Colonel McDonald says it is from a disciplined Persian army alone,
commanded by Russian officers, that he dreads the invasion of India. A
European force would be wasted by the climate. The Pasha of Suleimania had
too European a taste, and wanted to make regular soldiers without pay or
clothing. So his soldiers turned him out, and made his brother Pacha.
Colonel McDonald describes all that side of Turkey as going _au devant du
conquérant_. Such has been the wretchedness of their government.
_Worthing, November 18, 1829._
At 11 P.M. received a letter from the Duke of Wellington by a messenger,
telling me he regretted I had not met Lord Melville and him before the
Cabinet, and proposing, as he and Lord Melville both wished to go out of
town on Friday, that I should meet them either to-morrow, after 2, or on
Friday morning.